Rio 2016 Review: Conversions and Centering

Injera for the win... © World Rugby
Injera for the win… © World Rugby

This is the first installment of an Olympic review series, in which I will analyze team performance in different facets of the game. This particular post examines conversion kicking and how well teams centered their tries. I feel these skills are often overlooked or at least not well measured. To better measure these skills I will attempt to isolate them from each other and, when evaluating conversion kicking, do so relative to the difficulty of the kick. Continue reading “Rio 2016 Review: Conversions and Centering”

Argentina 17, USA 14 – Rio 2016

ArgLineup

USALineup

Don’t forget the referee, Craig Joubert.

Why this game?
The opening Olympic match for both the USA and Argentina. 

Narrative
Argentina and the USA finished fifth and sixth in the 2015-2016 World Series, only separated by two points. They split their two matches in the season 1-1. Considering both teams are likely to beat Brazil and lose to Fiji, this match is crucial to advancing to the Olympic quarter-finals.

Continue reading “Argentina 17, USA 14 – Rio 2016”